As I sit and reflect over 2013, I
wonder which parts to share; which are the most important things to preserve in
print to look back over and remember in years to come. December has arrived and,
with it, joy for me. I am not a big fan of winter, but December allows me to
slow down (yes, I prefer to slow down, rather than fill my calendar), focus on
the joy and love of Jesus, enjoy warm fires, twinkle lights and festive décor.
Savor my family. November was a particularly hard month for me, due to an
injury that kept me in pain the entire month. It makes the joy of this December
even sweeter, as I entered it nearly pain free.
I want us to remember this last summer!
It was a really good summer. Full of many warm and sunny days and lacking the
financial stress that is often present.
Last summer was a gift. Maybe one of
the reasons it was so wonderful to me was that I was finally sleeping after
discovering all of the things baby Landon cannot eat. It was a long road. It
was a very long winter with a poor, sweet baby who is intolerant of much. After
much research and trial and error, I finally developed a coconut milk formula
on which he thrived, grew plump, and began sleeping easier! He is now a
healthy, happy chubber, 14 months old, who loves to eat but has a very limited
diet!
Or maybe what I loved most about the
summer was getting to go to CrossFit every day kid free! I loved getting my wod
in every morning at 6 or 7 am! CrossFit is definitely a new love in my life.
Started in January, during my darkest hour, it literally got me back on my feet
again. CrossFit changed my life. I have never been driven towards athleticism,
but I was hooked after just one day. I knew I needed that hardcore exertion and
subsequent exhilaration to survive the winter. CrossFit has made me more active,
playful, and fun because I now enjoy finding out what my body is capable of
doing! Olympic lifting, flipping giant tires, climbing ropes, doing handstand
push-ups, and swinging kettlebells are just some of the fun things CrossFit
provides me. And I finally got Matt to join me in August! He’s just as hooked
as myself now, if not more so. He is looking forward to becoming certified as a
CrossFit trainer in the future!
A little about the kids….the kids are
so awesome. Carson and Montana continue to excel in their classes as a 4th
and 5th grader. Carson has his first male teacher this year and I
think he is his favorite so far. Mr. C is pretty cool. J They
played basketball together in January with Dad as coach and then Carson played
again this Fall. Watching them play has gotten more fun as they improve! They
are both very helpful to me, especially with the baby. Carson loves technology
and building and playing in the snow. Montana would want you to know she is a
tom boy and NOT a girly girl. She is very creative, imaginative, thoughtful and
kind.
Hallie is in first grade. Her best
friend is a boy. She still loves dolls and princesses, and Barbies, as much as
I’ve tried to dissuade that. I’ve given up and guess what she is getting for
her birthday? J She is our only late sleeper and every school morning is a trial
with her. There is no right side of the bed for her to wake up on! And all of
her clothes feel bad on her! She longs to spend time with her big sister and be
a gymnast. She would also like to be holding Landon constantly, even though he
weighs nearly as much as her! She loves her baby brother!!!
This school year we have four kids at
Sterling Elementary! Ollie is attending a Pre-K class there in the afternoons.
He loves it! I guess Landon and I are not exciting enough for him. If we are
doing work at home in the mornings, he is asking constantly if it is time to go
to school! He loves his teacher, Miss Williams and he also gets to work with
his speech teacher, Miss Amy, twice a week. His speech is improving. Ollie is
all boy! He loves dirt, mud, water, climbing, swimming, and passing gas and
blaming it on someone else.
We are currently enjoying watching Matt’s
middle school basketball team kick some butt this season. We all take ownership
of Dad’s team! J And we had the best Thanksgiving ever hosting all the local
Fischers and my parents. We are looking forward to another relaxing, fun
Christmas break hanging out with Aunt Katy and Uncle Jesse and Grandma and
Grandpa Howard. We are also all looking forward to another spring break
vacation with Grandma and Grandpa Fischer at their Arizona home in March!
We are so immensely and undeservedly blessed! It’s hard to even express how grateful I am for Christ’s sacrifice and His daily presence in my life. I pray daily to be shown how to serve, how to love as He loves, and how to help my children develop hearts for him, full of love and kindness, and gratitude.
Merry Christmas!
